company is buzzing about it. I mean, I hadn’t even told anybody that Gary and I split up, and then all of a sudden I’m kissing the campaign model in my office.’
‘So what? Tell them it’s none of their business, and get on with it.’
‘It’s not that easy. Nobody’s saying anything to me. It’s just whispers.’
She met his eyes finally and he saw the baffled hurt there.
And he remembered that hurt. He remembered the whispers.
There had been a year or two, when he was a teenager at school, when he’d been the recipient of both of them. His tormentors had mostly been boys, and boyswere usually pretty straightforward about their bullying. Their preferred method was generally to ambush him after school and kick him around a bit. But there had been whispers, too.
His anger could take a back seat for a moment.
‘Jane, you can’t let other people get to you. You have to fight back. It’s one of the things my dad taught me; when I was getting beaten up at school he made me take up running and helped me learn boxing. When I was strong enough to confront the bullies, they stopped.’
‘This is different,’ Jane answered quickly. ‘I’m not being bullied. It’s just that—this job is important to me. I need the people at work to respect me. And from what’s happened, it looks like I’m somebody who’s been dumped by her boyfriend for another woman and has straight away thrown herself at the nearest male. I need to prove to them that I’m not desperate. And that …’ She blushed harder. ‘You know, you want me, too.’
‘I do want you. But not like this.’
‘I’ve already told you, we can’t have a relationship. Our friendship is too important.’
Jonny felt like jumping up and pacing around the room. As they were in a crowded café, he restrained himself. But only just.
Jane must have seen how he felt because she leanedforward on the table, her hands clasped together in supplication.
‘Please, Jonny. I don’t want to look desperate, but I am. It’s not just the people at work. It’s Gary. He came to my office this afternoon and told me that since I’d found a new boyfriend, he’d be bringing Kathleen to Thom’s agency party. If I turn up on my own—’
He was trying to stay calm, but it wasn’t working. ‘Ah. I see it now. It’s back to Gary and using me to make him jealous.’
‘It’s not just about making him jealous.’
‘But is about using me.’
Her pleading hands clasped into fists. ‘Jonny, I’m asking for your help, that’s all. You were the one who had to go and kiss me this afternoon! If you hadn’t done that, this all would have blown over.’
‘Tell me the truth, Jane.’ He was leaning over the table now, as well. ‘Are you asking for my help because I’m your friend, or because I’m working as a model and it’s some kind of strange status symbol for you?’
‘Dude! I should have known you’d be hiding away canoodling with your new babe, you crafty dog!’
A chair scraped back and Thom threw himself down in it, blond hair flopping in his face. As usual, he looked as if he’d just stepped off a beach.
‘Hi, Thom,’ Jane said, and leaned quickly back in her chair. Jonny sat back, too.
‘Don’t pay any attention to me, my friends, you go right ahead and make all the goo-goo eyes at each other that you want. Jane, I’m stoked you like my man Jo—Jay.’
‘Jane knows my real name,’ Jonny told him.
Thom bobbed his head in delight. ‘Excellent, that is excellent. You’re really getting to know each other, huh?’ He patted Jane’s hand. ‘I’ve been telling Jonny he needs a good woman to lighten him up, and I’m glad I was the person to introduce you.’
‘Yes, it was quite a fateful lunch, wasn’t it?’ Jane smiled at Thom, with only the smallest of glances at Jonny to gauge his reaction.
‘Written in the stars,’ Thom agreed.
Thom didn’t appear to be going anywhere until he’d done his full share of congratulating the
‘So what? Tell them it’s none of their business, and get on with it.’
‘It’s not that easy. Nobody’s saying anything to me. It’s just whispers.’
She met his eyes finally and he saw the baffled hurt there.
And he remembered that hurt. He remembered the whispers.
There had been a year or two, when he was a teenager at school, when he’d been the recipient of both of them. His tormentors had mostly been boys, and boyswere usually pretty straightforward about their bullying. Their preferred method was generally to ambush him after school and kick him around a bit. But there had been whispers, too.
His anger could take a back seat for a moment.
‘Jane, you can’t let other people get to you. You have to fight back. It’s one of the things my dad taught me; when I was getting beaten up at school he made me take up running and helped me learn boxing. When I was strong enough to confront the bullies, they stopped.’
‘This is different,’ Jane answered quickly. ‘I’m not being bullied. It’s just that—this job is important to me. I need the people at work to respect me. And from what’s happened, it looks like I’m somebody who’s been dumped by her boyfriend for another woman and has straight away thrown herself at the nearest male. I need to prove to them that I’m not desperate. And that …’ She blushed harder. ‘You know, you want me, too.’
‘I do want you. But not like this.’
‘I’ve already told you, we can’t have a relationship. Our friendship is too important.’
Jonny felt like jumping up and pacing around the room. As they were in a crowded café, he restrained himself. But only just.
Jane must have seen how he felt because she leanedforward on the table, her hands clasped together in supplication.
‘Please, Jonny. I don’t want to look desperate, but I am. It’s not just the people at work. It’s Gary. He came to my office this afternoon and told me that since I’d found a new boyfriend, he’d be bringing Kathleen to Thom’s agency party. If I turn up on my own—’
He was trying to stay calm, but it wasn’t working. ‘Ah. I see it now. It’s back to Gary and using me to make him jealous.’
‘It’s not just about making him jealous.’
‘But is about using me.’
Her pleading hands clasped into fists. ‘Jonny, I’m asking for your help, that’s all. You were the one who had to go and kiss me this afternoon! If you hadn’t done that, this all would have blown over.’
‘Tell me the truth, Jane.’ He was leaning over the table now, as well. ‘Are you asking for my help because I’m your friend, or because I’m working as a model and it’s some kind of strange status symbol for you?’
‘Dude! I should have known you’d be hiding away canoodling with your new babe, you crafty dog!’
A chair scraped back and Thom threw himself down in it, blond hair flopping in his face. As usual, he looked as if he’d just stepped off a beach.
‘Hi, Thom,’ Jane said, and leaned quickly back in her chair. Jonny sat back, too.
‘Don’t pay any attention to me, my friends, you go right ahead and make all the goo-goo eyes at each other that you want. Jane, I’m stoked you like my man Jo—Jay.’
‘Jane knows my real name,’ Jonny told him.
Thom bobbed his head in delight. ‘Excellent, that is excellent. You’re really getting to know each other, huh?’ He patted Jane’s hand. ‘I’ve been telling Jonny he needs a good woman to lighten him up, and I’m glad I was the person to introduce you.’
‘Yes, it was quite a fateful lunch, wasn’t it?’ Jane smiled at Thom, with only the smallest of glances at Jonny to gauge his reaction.
‘Written in the stars,’ Thom agreed.
Thom didn’t appear to be going anywhere until he’d done his full share of congratulating the
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